Year-End Review | Goodbye to 2015!

Year-End Review | Goodbye to 2015!

It seems like most years just fly by. One minute you’re waking up on New Years Day, and the next you’re toasting again, to the end of another year.

I can’t honestly say that about 2015.

For us, this year has been so full of growth and change, challenges and triumphs, complete joy and total heartbreak… last January seems a world away.

But what about you? What do you see when you look back on the past 12 months of your life?

It seems unfair to ring in the New Year without giving the old one a proper goodbye. After all, if we don’t take time to reflect and appreciate the memories, experiences and lessons the last 12 months have given us, how can we be prepared to fully embrace what’s coming in the 12 months ahead?

New Years is an arbitrary holiday. A number on the calendar. Tomorrow, in reality, is no more different from today as today is from yesterday. Change happens daily. Growth happens daily. But that being said, there is nothing wrong with using the emotional pull of this day as an opportunity to review and prepare for new growth.

Before you head out to ring in the New Year, I’d like to encourage you to ask yourself the following questions:

What is your best memory from 2015?

What is your worst memory from 2015?

What is the greatest lesson you learned this past year?

What is your biggest WIN from this past year?

2015 USDF Bronze Medal; Photo Taken by Joylynne Harris

For me, my best memory of 2015 was riding into the arena for the last time during my last horse show with my Trakehner gelding, Kennebec. Coincidentally this came a couple of hours after my biggest win for the year… earning our United States Dressage Federation Bronze Medal; a goal we’ve been training for and working towards for several years!

My worst memory would have to be having to put our sweet German Shepherd to sleep, ending his battle with an awful genetic disease he’d been battling for almost a year.

My greatest lesson from 2015 is that, try as one might, you cannot control everything. In reality, you can’t control most things 🙂 The only things you CAN control are your thoughts, your beliefs and your actions. And holding on to those 3 things is enough to keep you anchored no matter what else life might throw your way!

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to many more great WINS (with some lessons along the way) in my life AND business in 2016!

As you perform your own year-end review I’d also like to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your Wheel of Life:

Success is a sum of how we feel about each individual area of our lives. Our mental game, business/career, health, wealth, relationships, physical environments, spirituality and overall lifestyle.

At the end of each year I like to grade myself, on a scale of 1-10, on each area. 1 being terrible, 10 being the best it can be.

This begins by knowing exactly what the “perfect” version of each area would look like to you (if you want some help on figuring that out, you can click here).

Then, based on your progress toward that “ideal picture”, you can give yourself a score from 1-10.

Don’t be too hard on yourself though… we should strive for excellence, not perfection.

And even more than that, measured, consistent improvement in each area over time is what’s important. If you’re trending UPWARD, you are WINNING!

I’ll be sharing several strategies to help you achieve and maintain that upward trend over the coming days and weeks. For now though, take a few minutes to sit and review this past year.

Be honest with yourself about where you are right now.

Cherish the good times… and choose to release memories and experiences that no longer serve you.

Absorb the lessons… CELEBRATE the wins.

And tonight, celebrate the fact that every day is a new beginning.

You can start fresh and choose to change the trajectory of your life any day of the year, and New Years Day is a great time to begin!